South Africans headed online to take advantage of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials. PayInc’s tracking1 reported increased activity across both days.
“The healthy sales successfully handled by our card rails, underscores the continued appeal of online shopping for fast and convenient access to the top deals on offer,” says Solly Bellingan, head of marketing at PayInc.
“On Black Friday, PayInc registered an average of 934 transactions per minute, and on Cyber Monday this was 700 per minute, demonstrating the high activity which our systems successfully handled with 100% uptime.”
With an average spend of R1 001, Black Friday shoppers kept a watchful eye on sales. PayInc’s 3D Secure service2 showed online shopping activity on Black Friday peaked between 00:00 and 02:00 and again from mid-morning to reach its busiest hour between 10:00 and 11:00. Activity spiked again late into the evening, peaking between 22:00 and 24:00.
“Shoppers tracked Black Friday specials closely, clicking away during the two most critical periods – the early hours to snap up the first deals, and the evening to secure the final offers of the day,” says Bellingan. “Evidently, Black Friday remained top of mind for deal-seekers.”
Shoppers did not hold back on their spending.
“Incredibly, one consumer spent R3-million in a single click on travel and entertainment.”
He adds: “This year’s Black Friday spending showed that shoppers used this day as an opportunity to secure big-ticket items.”
Similarly, shoppers were swiping away at retail outlets on Black Friday with activity peaking between 14:00 and 15:00 and stayed at elevated levels until late afternoon, according to PayInc’s in-store card reporting.
“A single card racked up 202 transactions worth nearly R500 000 at a travel agency and tour operator,” says Bellingan.
The highest spend, also in that category, was valued at almost R720 000.
Most in-store card purchases were at grocery stores, service stations and fast-food outlets.
Cyber Monday reflects higher activity
Building on the momentum from Black Friday, Cyber Monday proved to be another popular day for online deals, showing higher transactional activity than the previous year.
“With an average spend of R740, the busiest hour was in the morning between 09:00 and 10:00,” says Bellingan.
Travel and entertainment again took the lead with the highest spend valued at R1-million.
“With digital shopping in the spotlight, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping shows a clear shift towards online for seeking out the biggest deals,” says Bellingan.
“As digital and instant payment options expand, such as with PayShap Request, merchants are gaining more flexibility and consumers are enjoying more choice, providing a winning combination for accelerating future e-commerce growth on major shopping days and beyond.”